College Addresses Growing Need for Mental Health Services

Little makes Dr. Norma Ngo, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Houston, sadder than hearing a student say, ‘‘I never even knew you guys existed.”

“Even if I get that senior in their last semester," she said, “I’m thrilled because at least they got some counseling before they left.”

But Ngo and her staff have their hands full. In recent years, the university has experienced an increase in the number of students needing mental health services. In September 2012, the number of students going to the counseling center was about 47 percent higher than the same month in the previous year.